


I'll Be There For You

by JehBeeEh



Series: Ahead by a Century [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Even Bucky says so, Friendship, Hockey, M/M, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Sweet Tony Stark, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, YAY SPORTS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-03 06:57:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21175298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JehBeeEh/pseuds/JehBeeEh
Summary: Steve and Bucky go out for a guy's night, and a certain billionaire meddles in their plans (in a cute and adorable way, of course).





	I'll Be There For You

**Author's Note:**

> Please indulge the Canadian in me, and my love of hockey ;) Write what you know, eh?

“I’m sorry sir, this says there’s a problem with your tickets,” the attendant looked confused, scanning the tickets again. She looked up at Steve with an apologetic smile. “Can you wait just one minute? Someone will be here from guest services shortly.”

Steve and Bucky stood to the side, looking at each other confused.

“Are you sure you brought the right tickets?” Bucky asked the blond, knowing there was no way Steve would have messed up and brought the second pair of tickets they’d bought for later in the season.

“I made sure before I left, they're the ones for tonight. I’m just as stumped as you are, man.”

“Good evening, Gentlemen. I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting. If you could please follow me,” a woman who reminded Steve of his boyfriend's assistant came to fetch them and brought them over to an office by the ticket booth.

Bucky and Steve, for as long as they'd been able to, had made a yearly date to go watch the home opener for the New York Rangers. They didn’t get to go watch live games often, usually opting to watch from one of their houses instead, but this little tradition had endured, and made it easy to plan.

“I'm sorry, what exactly is wrong with our tickets, miss?” Steve asked, trying not to get annoyed at the lack of information.

“My apologies, Mr. Rogers. I thought you might want to get out of the crowd before I explained. I’m Andy, I was assigned to take care of you tonight.”

Steve and Bucky just looked at each other. “Again, I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?”

“Your tickets were reassigned, which is why the attendant couldn't let you in. I was asked to give you this,” she handed Steve an envelope. He instantly recognized the handwriting and shook his head. He should have known.

“I think we're getting an upgrade, Buck,” Steve said with a smirk as he opened the envelope and slipped out two new tickets, and a note.

_Did you really think I’d let you sit in the nosebleeds? You two have fun! Oh, and everything is on me tonight, and Happy will drive you both back to the penthouse after. You boys have a great time._

_Love you,_

_TS._

He handed the note to Bucky and apologized to Andy.

“Huh! Well, this'll be a fun date night, Stevie,” Bucky smirked at his best friend. “Where are we sitting now, anyways?”

Steve looked at the tickets and gaped. “We're a few rows behind the Rangers' bench.”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“Mr. Stark tried to get you the VIP seats next to the bench, but they’ve been sold for months. We were limited in our options.” Andy offered apologetically.

“Oh goodness, we are not complaining, not even a little. Thank you, so much, for all your help today, Andy.” Steve added quickly.

“I’ll bring you to your seats now. We also have a few new hats for you, and some new jerseys.”

Steve sighed, completely overwhelmed by the turn of events. He knew that Tony was just trying to be sweet and spoil him and his friend, but sometimes it felt like too much. He would need to have a chat with him about this.

Bucky had already grabbed the DeAngelo jersey, clearly not worried about Tony spending his money on them. Steve gladly pulled on Mika Zibanejad's jersey, and they both followed Andy, who explained how to order any food and drinks they wanted throughout the game.

As they got to their seats and ordered some beers and food, Steve's phone rang.

“You know, you could have told me about this before we got here,” Steve answered once he saw his boyfriend's name on the caller ID.

“And miss the opportunity to surprise you? I thought you knew me better, honey!” Tony laughed, clearly pleased with himself. “So, how are the new seats? Sorry I couldn't get you closer.”

“They are perfect, babe, thanks. Buck says thank you too. But you know this was not necessary -"

“I know,”, Tony quickly cut him off, knowing Steve all too well. “But I also know things have been kinda crazy the last few weeks, and I wanted to do something nice for the both of you. I figured you probably don’t get to hang out as much, in part ‘cause of me, so this was the least I could do, truly.”

“It's really sweet of you, thanks. I gotta go, drinks are here, and game is about to start. I love you.”

“Me too, hun. Have a good time!”

“I can't believe Stark did that for you. He has it bad for you Stevie,” Bucky handed one of the beers to Steve, holding his up. “Cheers to guys night, and to your new boyfriend.”

They cheered to that just as the season opening videos and player introductions started.

“You don't think I’m using Tony for his money, right?” Steve turned to Bucky and asked when things had quieted down again.

“What?! No! What makes you think that?” Bucky replied, shocked.

“I don't know. Sometimes I wonder, you know, if that's why I fell for him…”

“Oh, no no. I know that look. Steve, don't do this to yourself.” Bucky was cut off by the announcer, and the national anthems starting. Once the game had started, he turned back to Steve. “Tell me this: did you complain about our seats to Tony? Or anything that he ended up upgrading for us tonight?”

“Of course not! You know I don't care where we sit, as long as we get to hang out. I just told him we had plans to come to the game tonight and that's it.”

“Ok. And have you ever hinted at something fancy you wanted so he'd buy it for you?”

“Seriously? You know me better than that.”

“Exactly. Why do you think I would ever think you’re using him for his money then? Or that it’s the only reason you fell for him?”

“Guess it was more a general question.” Steve took a long sip of his beer. “I’m trying really hard not to let all the comments get to me, I really am, but fuck it's hard sometimes. I don't read any of the articles that keep coming out about us, but I’ve had a few people at work mention them and it sounds like that’s what everyone else thinks. I’m basically just a gold digger or something.”

“Well, if that is your plan, you hide it well. I don’t think a gold digger would look like the heart-eyes emoji every time they talk about their boyfriend.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Dude, I’ve had cotton candy that rotted my teeth less than the way you two look at each other. I wasn't kidding earlier, he has it so bad for you, Stevie. And you do too. But never once did it cross my mind you were dating for any other reason than you truly love the guy. I actually feel bad I ever insinuated he only wanted to go out with you to get laid.”

“Thanks, man. I figured you’d have told me if you thought different. I guess I knew it'd be hard to not let the BS rumours get to me, but I didn’t realize just how much it would.”

“Even I could have told you it’d get to you.” Steve looked at him, brows furrowed. “Stevie, when you care about someone, everything becomes personal to you. This is your boyfriend, of course you’ll let it get to you! Remember when that guy kept bugging Nat in college, and he would not take no for an answer and then he started badmouthing her… yeah, you made it your personal mission to destroy that dude, even though Nat was perfectly capable of handling herself.”

“OK, fine. You’ve made your point.” Before Steve could go on, the home team scored, causing both men to concentrate on the game again once they finished cheering the first goal of the season. They ordered more beers and snacks and the conversation switched to the team they were watching and the upcoming season, and all the things they hadn’t had a chance to catch up on over the past few weeks.

By the start of the third period, with the game tied at 3 goals a piece, Steve had completely forgotten about their earlier conversation and they were fully into the game now.

“You know what would be awesome?” Steve slapped Bucky's arm, as he excitedly explained his idea. “We should do a road trip, every season, and go see the Rangers play every team in the league! Just, every year, pick an away game, and make a trip out of it.”

“That would be fun! Although, is it fun enough to be stuck on a plane with you?”

“Shut up, asshole! I’m not that bad.”

“How many beers have you had? You’re the worse on a plane. Everyone knows it.”

“Fine, we can drive then.”

“I’m not driving to Vancouver or Winnipeg in the winter! That would be the worse road trip ever.”

“I'm sure we can figure out the logistics another time, but you gotta admit, it would be fun. Could start with somewhere warm. Florida or Vegas?”

The Jets scored to gain the lead, and the men abandoned their planning. And when a few minutes later they tied the game back, Steve was on his feet cheering, his best friend laughing hysterically next to him.

“Calm down, it's not the playoffs!” Bucky pulled him down to his seat. They spent the rest of the game laughing and thoroughly enjoying themselves. And when the Rangers won, they both cheered as loud as they could and high-fived everyone around them. They hugged and laughed as the arena started to empty out.

“This was fun, Buck. Love ya, man.”

“Same here, Stevie.”

Steve sent a quick text to Happy to find out where to meet him and was told Andy would be showing them the way to the private garage where Happy was waiting. After thanking their host for a fantastic evening and Steve introducing his best friend to Happy, they set off for the short drive back to the Tower. They chatted about the game with the driver and before they knew it, they were up the elevator to the penthouse.

“Tony?” Steve called out when the doors opened.

_“Sir will be up in just a moment; he is on his way from the workshop.”_

“Thanks JARVIS.”

“Steve? The fuck was that?!” Bucky asked looking everywhere in the room.

“Remember I told you Tony hates my Google Nest? That’s why. He has his own AI who runs the whole penthouse basically. And that is me dumbing down a whole lot.”

“Holy shit…”

“Yeah. This is my life now.” Steve chuckled at Bucky's awed expression. The penthouse alone was impressive, but for any nerd, JARVIS beat the view any day.

“You guys are back early,” Tony came into the room from the stairs on the opposite where they’d come in. “Did your team win the sports thing?” he asked Steve before kissing him.

“Yes, we won the sports thing, babe.”

“Good. Go team!” Tony quickly shook Bucky's hand in greeting before returning both arms around Steve's waist, settling into into his side, as Steve wrapped his right arm over his shoulders. “Did you have fun?”

“It was awesome, thanks for the upgrade and the swag, man,” Bucky replied.

“It was the least I could do for taking this guy away from you since we started dating.”

“You really didn’t have to do that though. And you have never taken me away from my friends,” Steve kissed Tony's temple, truly thankful that he had never had to deal with jealousy between his boyfriend and his friends.

“Yeah, Nat and I have had to deal with that before, and Steve is right – you’ve never made us feel like we were competing for Stevie's time, Stark. Wouldn't let that happen again, for all our sakes.” Bucky added, making Tony look at him questioningly.

“Shit, I forgot how bad it got with Drew…” Steve muttered.

“That is the only year we missed the home opener,” Bucky explained to Tony. “Guy was insanely jealous whenever Nat and I planned any kind of night out with Stevie. You guys had been dating a few weeks?” Bucky asked the blond.

“About a month and a half? We'd had the tickets forever by that point, and he was fine about it when I told him. And then, on the day of, he threw the biggest fit. I had to leave work early, I was so upset.” Steve put both his arms around Tony's shoulder and gave him a squeeze.

“I ended up going with Nat instead, ‘cause he’d showed up at your place and was giving you grief for putting our relationship before him. I don't miss that guy.”

“He sounds like an asshole,” Tony concluded. “I promise I will never make you choose between them and me, gorgeous. Even if you end up as the number one story on Twitter for spending time with Buck.” He kissed Steve's cheek and headed towards the kitchen to grab a drink.

“What are you talking about?” Steve asked, following him.

Tony smirked. “Happy didn’t tell you? Rumour has it, I’ve been replaced by a younger, hotter model already.”

Bucky was already on his phone trying to find what Tony was talking about, but Tony had it on his tablet for Steve already. Sure enough, there were various pictures of Steve and Bucky at the game, looking like they were having a grand time, with headlines asking if Tony Stark’s beau had already moved on from the billionaire.

Bucky was laughing as he went through the various posts and descriptions of himself. “This is gold! I’m sending this to Nat.”

Steve wasn’t finding it quite as funny. “Why would they automatically assume I’m dating someone else just cause I’m out with anyone but you?” The blond seemed hurt by the notion.

“Because tabloids suck, sweetheart. And in part because I am me, and odds of this lasting more than a few months are slim to none according to most media outlets.” Tony explained plainly. Steve still looked crush by the notion. “You know I'm not upset about this, right? This is just a slow night in celebrity news land, and they had a clear shot of the two of you hugging and looking happy, therefore conclusions must be drawn. I mean, I wouldn’t blame you if you left me for Bucky, he’s a good-looking guy…”

“Thanks man!” Bucky smiled at the compliment, Tony winking at him before returning his attention to Steve.

“But this is not a deal breaker for me. I know the same will happen when they get pics of you with Natasha and lord knows it’ll probably be worse then. I already texted Pep, they're putting a tweet out from my official account about you being allowed to go out with your friends, it is not a big deal.”

Steve looked at Tony for a beat before replying. “I feel bad that I don’t take these things as well as you do. You’ve told me often you had no doubt we’d be ok with all the crap that would come out, but I keep being upset by it…”

“There's a difference though,” Tony came to stand in front of Steve and removed his hat so he could run his fingers through his boyfriend’s golden locks. “You being upset by how you’re being portrayed, or how they talk about your friends is not a bad thing. I'd be a bit worried if it did not affect you at all, frankly. But, if you saw pictures of me out for coffee with a random guy with the same headline, would you break up with me right away?”

“Of course not!”

“Exactly. It could easily be a co-worker or a new investor. You wouldn’t jump to rash conclusions without talking to me first. That’s what I meant.” Tony stilled his fingers in the blonde’s hair, cradling his head in his hands lovingly. “I love that you care about your friends, and me, the way you do. I love how you would stop at nothing to make sure we don’t get hurt. It’s pretty damn sexy actually.”

Steve smiled up at the brunette and pulled him in for a hug, burying his face under his chin. “I love you so much.”

“Me too, honey.” Tony kissed the top of Steve's head.

They'd almost forgotten the other brunette in the room, until they heard cough and muffled “Heart-eyes emoji" nearby, and Steve started laughing.

“Do I even want to ask?” Tony whispered to Steve, who just shook his head. “How about we get the two of you to bed, and we can go out for breakfast tomorrow morning, and you can tell me all about the sports-ball game. And who knows, maybe the paparazzi will grab pics of the three of us and imply we're in a triad of some sort.”

“First of all, it is called hockey, and second, yes, that sounds good. Not the threesome thing, going to bed, I mean.” Steve corrected himself quickly, getting up to follow Tony.

“Who says I'd want to have a threesome with you, Stevie? Maybe I want your boyfriend all to myself?” Bucky retorted, getting a slap behind the head from his best friend, and a laugh from Tony. “We can start planning the trip to Vegas too.”

“We're going to Vegas?” Tony asked excitedly, leading the way towards the guest room he had had set up for Bucky.

“Well, we're going to watch a hockey game, but you can come too if you want. Maybe we can bring Nat and Rhodey, and make it a long weekend?” Steve mused.

“They have a hockey team in the middle of the desert?” Tony seemed quite confused at the notion. “And, we both know I need to tag along. You need me on the plane, or you’ll have another anxiety attack.”

“Told you!” Bucky snapped at Steve, the blond rolling his eyes.

“Maybe I don't like the two of you becoming friends after all.” Steve mumbled to himself, making the other two men laugh.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this one. :)


End file.
